International students bring so much to UK universities. Aside from the obvious, like new skills, new perspectives and of course, money, international students bring diversity to university campuses. However, this isn’t the case for every uni. In fact, while some universities have students from as many as 170 nationalities enrolled in their course, others have as few as 20. So, without further ado, read on to found out which are the least diverse universities in the UK.
12. Royal Agricultural University
The Royal Agricultural University takes position number 12 in our list. This Glouchestrire based university offers degrees in subjects such as Agri-food business management, Applied Equine Science and Business and Applied Farm management. However, its courses aren’t so popular with international students, with only 48 nationalities enrolled in the university.
11. Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
Located in Glasgow, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is a school specialising in music, drama, dance, production and film. You can do undergraduate or postgraduate degrees here, and the conservatoire is a member of the Federation of Drama Schools. Although it’s a pretty good place to study in the creative arts, it’s one of the least diverse universities in the UK. There are only 47 nationalities, and 306 international students. However, compared with some other unis in this list, that’s actually not too bad.
10. Leeds Trinity University
Next up on our list, in position number 10 is Leeds Trinity University. We were surprised by this one, considering it is an incredibly popular UK university. It offers degrees in a range of subjects, from Accounting to Journalism and Psychology. However, for some reason, it’s not so popular with international students, with only 46 nationalities, and 184 students, in attendance on average. Perhaps they’re all studying at Leeds University instead?
9. Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London
With 216 international students from 39 nationalities, the Courtauld Institute of Art is one of two members of the University of London on our list of the least diverse universities in the UK. It’s one of the world’s most prestigious programmes, in subjects relating to art history, curating, and conservation. It’s definitely a great place to go if you’re interested in art, however there’s not going to be a huge international crowd around.
8. SRUC – Scotland’s Rural College
This university is one of the least diverse in the UK, but it might be due to the fact it’s such a niche area. SRUC, Scotland’s Rural College, specialises in agriculture and life sciences, with a strong focus on sustainability. Currently, there are only 37 nationalities and 119 international students. This is less surprising given it’s not situated in one of the leading cities like some of the others on this list.
7. Plymouth Marijon University
Following on, we head to Plymouth Marijon University. This university is on the smaller side, with only a singular campus so it’s not surprising there are few international students here. In fact, there are only 118 international students from 37 nationalities. The uni offers degrees in areas such as Criminology, Psychology and Education. Many of these are the most useful degrees that you can study so it may be worth keeping in mind as an option.
6. Leeds Art University
This another of the least diverse universities in the UK hat has a specialist area, which may explain why it’s less diverse than others with a broader array of courses. At Leeds Art University, you can study at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. There are lots of courses within the arts, such as creative writing, comic and concept art, fashion branding, animation and much more. Despite offering students the chance to study abroad, it seems not many come from abroad. There’s currently only 87 international students from 37 nationalities.
5. National Film and Television School
The National Film and Television School (NFTS) is one of the best schools in the UK to study film. There’s no doubt about its reputation. However, it still doesn’t have a strong international student population which makes it one of the least diverse universities in the UK. There are only 98 international students of 36 nationalities, which means that the majority come from the UK. Nevertheless, this isn’t likely to put students dedicated to a career in film and TV off.
4. Writtle University College
You’ll be forgiven if you haven’t heard of this university. With a campus-based near Chelmford in Essex, it only gained University College Status in 2016. It offers courses that are designed with employability in mind, including degree apprenticeships. (You can find out more about the pros and cons of those here.) In terms of diversity, it is one of the lowest on our list as the 4th diverse university, with only 35 nationalities enrolled on average.
3. Arts University Plymouth
Considered as the UK’s best small or specialist university, Arts University Plymouth is also one of the least diverse. However, it’s most likely the fact that it is a small uni that makes it lack a large international student population. It currently has 34 nationalities – just one nationality more than the second least diverse university, and only 76 international students.
2. Institute of Cancer Research, University of London
Specialising in oncology, the Institute of Cancer Research is a member institution of the broader Uni of London. It’s technically more of a college than a university, but it’s still considered one of the least diverse higher education institutions. With only 33 nationalities, it’s arguably important that as one of the leaders in such important scientific research, they draw in more minds from around the world.
1.Bisshop Grosseteste University
Finally, coming in the first place and crowned the least diverse university in the UK is Bishop Grosseteste university. This university is located in the city of Lincoln, Lincolnshire and offers courses from Foundation degrees to PhD level. It is recognised for high employability prospects and student satisfaction rates. However, it is fairly new as a university which we’re guessing is why it’s less popular with international students. On average, there are only 20 nationalities and 33 international students enrolled in Bishop Grosseteste University. The majority of these students come from Portugal, Ireland and the US.
So, that’s a wrap for our list of the least diverse universities in the UK. Stay tuned for our list of the most diverse universities in the UK- great for international students wanting to fit in. Are you an international student studying in the UK? Say hi in the comments and let us know how you are finding your experience of studying abroad in the UK.
